Multiple trouser hanger



19, 19mg LE ROY S. MQRPHY 2 222,234

I MULTIPLE TROUSER HANGER Filed June 6, 1939 Leiioyalvorpfiy Patented Nov. 19, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,222,234 MULTIPLE: TROUSER HANGER Le Roy S. Morphy, Lansing, Mich. Application June 6, 1929, Serial No. 277,729

Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in garmeritv supporters and pertains particularly to an improved multiple trouser hanger.

The present invention has for its primary ob- 5 jeot to provide a trouser or skirt hanger having means for supporting a pair or more of such articles, wherein a novel arrangement is employed by which the opening of the hanger for the engagement of the same with an article of clothing may be accomplished without requiring the use of hands sothat both hands will be free to arrange the garment in the hanger.

Another object of the invention is to provide a multiple garment hanger having two pivoted gripping units, wherein one of such units is pivotally supportedupon the other unit and wherein means is provided for facilitating the selective opening of said units.

Still another object of the invention is to provide in a multiple garment hanger, a pair of pivotally supported gripping units wherein one of the units is pivotally mounted upon the other unit in such a manner as to facilitate the opening of one unit relative to the other against the tension of a holding spring by which the said one of the units is normally maintained in closed condition.

Still another object of the invention is to pro- Vide a novel garment hanger having associated therewith foot operating means for effecting the opening of the jaws of the hanger.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, with the understanding, however, that the invention is not to be confined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawing but may be changed or modified so long as such changes or modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of the device, showing the same in closed position.

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken longitudinally of the device and perpendicular to the axis of oscillation of the jaws, showing the device 50 with one set of jaws opened.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, it will be seen that the present multiple garment hanger is of the type designed to be secured to a fixed support, such as a wall or the 55-like, which is indicated at I. Thedevice comprises a body portion, indicated generally by the numeral 2, which is in the form of an elongated back plate 3 having the longitudinally extending edge flanges 4. At one end the plate 3 is provided with an ear 5 by means of which it may 5 be secured to the support I by a screw 6 or other suitable attaching means, thus holding the support in the vertical position. At its lower end, the body 3 is provided with the forwardly and upwardly turned tongue I which lies across and 10 connects the lower ends of the flanges 4 and to the face of this tongue is secured a gripping pad 8 of suitable material such as felt, sponge rubber, or the like.

Pivotally supported between the upper ends of the flanges 4 on a pivot pin 9, is a roller I0, the use of which will be hereinafter described.

The flanges at a point a substantial distance below the upper ends thereof have formed integrally therewith the forwardly projecting hinge ears II thru and between which extends a pivot pin I2. Confronting the body 2 and extending parallel therewith, is a jaw plate I3 which has a pair of hinge ears I4 which are pivotally supported upon the pin I2. This jaw plate extends above the hinge ears II and is provided with a second pair of hinge ears I5 which extend oppositely to the hinge ears I4. The jaw plate I3 carries upon opposite faces the jaw pads I6 and H, the pad I6 being in a position to oppose and engage the pad 8, while the pad I! is oppositely directed, as illustrated, and is engaged by a jaw pad I8 which is carried at the lower end of and upon the inner face of an outer jaw plate I9 which is arranged in spaced parallel relation with the plate I3 and which, at its upper end, has the inwardly extending hinge ears 20, which are pivotally coupled with the ears I5 by a pivot pin 2|.

The outer jaw plate as shown, extends a substantial distance above the upper end of the plate I3 and slightly above the upper end of the mounting body 2, and is formed with an eye or other suitable means at 22, for the attachment thereto of an actuating band or cord 23 which is passed rearwardly toward and over the roller I0 and extended downwardly between the flanges 4 and through a suitable slot in the horizontal portion of the tongue I, as illustrated. This band is provided to facilitate the oscillation of the jaw plates I3 and I9 and it is attached at its lower end to a foot actuator 24 which, as shown, has a horizontal portion onto which the foot may be placed .so as to effect a downward pull .upon the actuating cord 23.

The outer jaw plate I9 has an opening 25 therethrough through which extends a latching bar 26, one end of which is attached, as at 2'l, to the face of the inner jaw plate I3. The outer end of this bar 26 is downturned, as shown, to prevent it from passing through the opening 25 and the under edge of the bar is toothed for engagement with the bottom edge of the open ing. The inner end of the bar 25 is securely fastened by a suitable band or loop 2'1 so that the bar 26 will be rigidly held, and as this bar is formed of spring steel, it may be readily sprung or bent sufiiciently for the purpose of disengaging the teeth formed in the lower edge thereof from the bottom edge of the opening 25, but the spring action of the bar will normally hold it in engagement with the lower edge of the aperture. In order to prevent the accidental detachment of this bar from the jaw plate I9, there is provided the oscillatable thumb latch 28, which is pivotally attached above the opening 25 to the outer jaw plate, as shown, and which when oscillated in one direction is removed from engagement with the bar 26 so thatthe latter may be shifted, as desired.

Each of the pivot pins or shafts I2 and 2I has wound thereabout or passes through a coil spring 29. Each of these springs at one end has engagement with the ear which is integral with the outer jaw plate and the other end of each spring is connected with the ear which is integral with the inner jaw plate so that when the outer jaw plate of either of the clamps is shifted to open or separate the gripping pads, the spring associated therewith will be twisted and placed under tension so as to return the pads to grip ping relation, for example, the spring 29 being mounted on the pivot pin I2 is hooked at one end over an ear I4 and at its other end is engaged over an opposite ear II so that when the plate I3 is swung out, as shown in Fig. 2, the spring on the shaft or pin I2 will be tensioned. The spring on the shaft or pin 2I likewise has one end hooked over the top of an ear 20 of the plate I9 while its other end is hooked over the top of an ear I5 of the plate I3. Thus when the plate I9 is swung away from the plate I3 to separate jaws I'I-I8, after the latch bar 26 has been lifted, the spring on pin 2! will be tensioned so as to restore the jaws I'II8 to gripping position when the pull cord or band 23 is released.

Because of the positioning of the pivot pin 2I for the jaws I3-I9, at an elevation above the pivot pin I2, it will be readily apparent that the oscillation of the plate I9 may be readily effected, against the tension of the upper spring, without overcoming the holding action of the spring on the shaft I2 by which the jaws 8 and I6 are held together. When the latching bar 26 is in securing position and a pull is applied to the cord or tape 23 then, as will be readily obvious, the tension of the spring on the shaft I2 will be overcome and the lower jaws will be separated.

I claim:

1. A multiple garment hanger comprising an elongated body, means for securing the body to a fixed support, a pair of elongated jaw plates disposed in spaced parallel relation with one another and with said body, one of said plates being pivotally attached to the body for oscillation on an axis extending transversely thereof, the other of the plates being pivotally attached to the said one of the plates for oscillation on an axis extending transversely thereof, jaw members carried by the said one of the plates and the body for cooperative gripping action, a pair of jaw members carried by and between the said one of the plates and the other one thereof for cooperative gripping action, and means for securing the said jaw plates together.

2. A multiple garment hanger comprising an elongated body, means for securing the body to a fixed support, a pair of elongated jaw plates disposed in spaced parallel relation with one another and with said body, one of said plates being pivotally attached to the body for oscillation on an axis extending transversely thereof, the other of the plates being pivotally attached to the said one of the plates for oscillation on an axis extending transversely thereof, jaw members carried by the said one of the plates and the body for cooperative gripping action, a pair of jaw members carried by and between the said one of the plates and the other one thereof for cooperative gripping action, means for securing the said jaw plates together, a flexible actuator attached at one end to the upper end of the said other one of the jaw plates and extending therefrom toward the body of the hanger, the actuator then extending longitudinally of the body of the hanger and beyond the lower end thereof, and means upon the lower end of the said actuator facilitating the pulling of the actuator to effect the oscillation of said plates.

3. A multiple garment hanger comprising an elongated plate body, means at one end of said body for securing the same in Vertical position on a support, a pair of elongated jaw plates disposed in spaced parallel relation with one another and with the body, one of said jaw plates being pivotally attached to the body for oscillation on an axis extending transversely thereof, the other of the plates being pivotally attached to the said one of the plates for oscillation on an axis extending transversely thereof, the said last mentioned axis of oscillation being in a plane above the axis of oscillation of the first mentioned plate, the second mentioned plate extending above its axis of oscillation, a flexible actuator attached at one end to the said extended end of the second mentioned plate and passing rearwardly therefrom toward the body and then passing downwardly longitudinally of the body, said actuator facilitating the oscillation of the plates, jaw members carried by and between the first mentioned plate and the body, jaw members carried by and between the plates, and a releasable latching means for coupling the said plates together.

4. A wall supported garment hanger, comprising two elongated bodies disposed in spaced parallel relation, means connecting said bodies for oscillation of one on the other on a transversely extending axis, the said other body being designed to be secured vertically to a support, said axis being inwardly of the upper ends of the bodies, opposing jaws upon the lower ends of said bodies, resilient means normally urging said jaws together, means facilitating the oscillation of the said one of the bodies on the other body, the said one of the bodies comprising two spaced parallel elongated pieces pivotally coupled for relative oscillation on a transverse axis, a pair of jaws carried by said pieces, means resiliently urging said last jaws together, and means for latching said pieces together whereby they may be moved as a unit relatively to the said other body.

5. A garment hanger of the character described, comprising an elongated member of channel form, means at one end facilitating attachment of the member vertically to a supporting surface whereby the sides of the member extend forwardly from the supporting body, a roller member extending transversely of the channel memher and rotatably supported between said sides at the top of the member, a horizontal wall at the other end of said member from the roller extending forwardly between said sides and upwardly along the forward edges of and connecting said sides of the member, a jaw member secured to the forward face of said upwardly extending portion of the wall, a second elongated member disposed in parallel relation with the channeled member, means pivotally coupling said members together adjacent the upper ends thereof whereby the second member will oscillate relatively to the first member on a transversely 5 over said roller and downwardly through said 10 channel member and through an opening in the horizontal portion of said wall.

LE ROY S. MORPHY. 

